Hundreds of roads were washed away, cellular service for over 250,000 people was cut off, and vast swaths of cities such as Asheville were left underwater. Cooper said Helene had become “one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of North Carolina.”
Officials said earlier that more than 200 people had been rescued in the state by water and helicopter crews.
Ryan Cole, the assistant director of Buncombe County Emergency Services, said the wreckage was overwhelming. “We have biblical devastation through the county. We’ve had biblical flooding here,” Cole said.
At least two people in eastern Tennessee have died due to the recent devastation caused by Helene, officials said Sunday. One death was confirmed in Unicoi County and the other in Johnson County.
“We do expect this number to change,” spokesperson Myron Hughes of the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency said during a 5 p.m. news conference. Tennessee officials reported that 153 people were still unaccounted for in the state as of Sunday afternoon.
Many communities across eastern Tennessee were still underwater and coping with crumbled roads, unsteady bridges, and devastated utility systems. The remnants of Helene brought rivers to record levels and forced evacuations.
Local schools remained closed, including Carter County Schools which will likely be closed “for an indefinite period of time due to the ongoing disruptions,” count spokesperson Ivan Sanders said. In Elizabethton, Sycamore Shores Hospital had shut down but nearby hospitals were up and running, according to Sanders.
Cooper said the number of customers without power is down from more than 1 million to 464,000 on Sunday afternoon, and efforts are underway to restore cellphone service to the thousands without it.
Attempts to provide relief and make repairs are hindered by residents driving in areas impacted by the storm, state officials said at an afternoon news conference, urging people to stay home.
“Travel in western North Carolina remains limited and dangerous,” Cooper said, pointing out 280 roads are closed, including sections of I-40 and I-26. “Please stay off western North Carolina roads.”
The governor said Helene dropped 10 to 29 inches of rain on the mountains in parts of the state, resulting in life-threatening landslides and floods. That has prompted reports of up to 1,000 missing, and for some of their loved ones to go searching for them.
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